Placed on the ill-fated Matsing tribe, Denise suffered the worst losing streak imaginable: losing every Immunity Challenge prior to the merge and visiting every single Tribal Council of her season. However, her brilliant social game allowed her to survive every one, making her way to the final three as she earned her the Jury's respect, winning her the title of Sole Survivor.

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Personal Claim to Fame: The decision to leave the safety and stability of my previous job to open my own business is without a doubt my proudest accomplishment. It took planning and preparation to make that transition smooth and successful. It also took some serious courage to risk the financial security I had.Inspiration in Life: At this point in my life, I struggle to identify any one hero, but a hero in my eyes is someone who follows their passion.Hobbies: Sprint triathlons, reading and playing dress up/goofing off with my kiddo. Pet Peeves: My number one pet peeve is laziness and people who expect that change will happen without them having to put in any real level of effort. Life is what you make it folks... dig deep! 3 Words to Describe You: Determined, energetic and goofy.If You Could Have 3 Things on The Island What Would They Be and Why?
1) A seriously sturdy jogging bra – no one needs to see my 40 year-old ta-ta’s dangling out. This is for function, not fashion.
2) My baseball cap or pink dew rag – sheer comfort and a reflection of who I really am.
3) My favorite picture of my husband and daughter for motivation and connection with them. SURVIVOR Contestant You Are Most Like: I really like Stephenie LaGrossa from “Survivor: Palau.” If that wasn’t “digging deep” I don’t know what is. She has sheer will power and determination. That is what drives me. Reason for Being on SURVIVOR: Believe it or not, for the experience!Why You Think You’ll “Survive” SURVIVOR: At work, I have to be able to engage and connect on some level with every person who walks through my door. I’m also a worker bee who will seek out ways to help camp life run smoothly. Why You Think You Will Be the Sole SURVIVOR: I have a job that requires the ability to engage people to share very personal information and gain their trust to know it will remain confidential. Survivor will require that same skill set and honestly, I’m good at it. My motto in business, life and now Survivor is “keep it simple, keep it smart.”

Denise is the only contestant to attend every Tribal Council over the course of a season.

Denise is also the only contestant to witness all eliminations in a season. This was the result of being at every tribal council and watching Dana's quit from the game.

Denise is the only contestant to reach an official merge without winning a tribal Immunity Challenge or being awarded tribal immunity. Stephenie LaGrossa reached the individual stage of Survivor: Palau, but Palau did not have an official merge. Mookie Lee reached the individual stage of Survivor: Fiji, but the Ravu tribe was awarded tribal immunity for the fourth tribal council despite losing the Immunity Challenge.

Denise is the only member of Matsing to not receive a vote before the tribe's dissolution.

She is the third winner to defeat a returning player, following Danni Boatwright and Sophie Clarke. Coincidentally, all three of them are female and received six votes to win.

Denise is the oldest female winner when crowned Sole Survivor at 41 years, 11 days old, as well as the second-oldest winner upon being crowned overall, behind Bob Crowley who was 57 when he won.